Charge delivery actuating means for molding machines



Sept. 1, 1925.

C. L. NORTON CHARGE DELIVERY ACTUATING MEANS FOR MOLDING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 14, 1922 IW/veW/trn Patented Sept. 1925.

ITED STATi s CHARLES L. "non'ron, or .VBOSTON, .MAssAoHusE'r'rs, .nss onon o nearretro; arns MACHINERY M oonPoRA'rIoN oFrEnnsYLvANIn.

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cannon nnLIvEnY noT A'rme MEANS roaMonnIne vrncn rn is.

Original application filed December 14, 1922; SeriaLNo. 606,869. Divided andthis application filed October 13, 1924.

To all 'whom'z't may concern: 1

Be it known that "I, OHAnLns L. NORTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and

resident of 'Bostongin the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inCharge Delivery Actuating Means for Molding Machines, of which the following is a: specification. 1

This invention pertains to machines for molding shapes from fictile niaterialwherein the charge of material is permitted to fall freely from aheight into an open topped moldbox'to'fillthe latter, machines of this type being illustrated in'my prior Patents No.l,332,67'l, dateddtlarch 2, 1920' andiNo. 1,426,761,"dated August "22; 1922, and re lates more particularly.to improved means foractuat ing the charge delivery devices.

As herein illustratedthe improved charge delivery actuatingmeans isshown as applied-"to a molding machine of the kind'more fully disclosed in my co-pending applica tion, Serial No; 606,869 filed December 141,

i 1922 which has resulted inPatent 1,52 51,87? of lwhieh this application is a division; but theimprov'ed actuating means herein claimed is ofb-road utility and not necessarily re stricted to this particular.environment.

'In the accompanying drawings in which certain 'desirable embodiments of the inven tion arevillustrated by way of example Fig.1 is a fragmentaryfrontelevation of amolding machine showing the improvedcharge delivery: actuating [means applied .1 Fig. 2,;is afragmentary sideelevation of theupper part of the machine, frame, showfurther details of the improved, actuats' ing mechanism; and i o 3 is a fragmentary. front elevation illustrating a, modified form of the actuat anech anism.

Beferringto the drawings the numeral 1 designates a horizontally disposed .a-nvi-l plate rigidly supported: upon girders or I-beams2. This .anvil plate is preferably provided with one. (or more adjustable stops 3 constituting the support. for the mold box While the latter is being. filled.

The moldbox herein disclosed comprises the open topped -bo x-v which is provided with i a telescopic; bottom. member, n 5 .push

Serial No. 743,191.

plate h-w'hich acts-to eject the molded shape proper assembled relationbymeans of apin and slot connection. I

The bottom member 5. ofthe n oldbox is supportedby an arm 6:secured to an oscillatory shaft '7 mounted in suitable hearings in the machine frame; This shaft is also furnished with a segmental gear [8 which meshes with a rack-"bar; 9 which is reciprocated by any suitablemechanism, for'example, a piston operating in a "pressure cylinden' such mechanism'not being shown herein. i o

A'secon'd shaft 10 is arranged substantially parallel tothe, shaft 7 but at the opposite side of the anvil and is, provided with a segmental gear 11 which also meshes With the raJcliQf The shaft 10 carries an arm 12 which supports the bottom member 13 of a second mold box having. the" boxproper 14: telescopically assembled with the bottom membe in the sain emanner thebox pre viously described.

VAt opposite sides of the machine unloading tables 15 and ldrespectively are arranged. After filling, a' pallet plate is clamped to the top "(if the mold bo xl and themoldbox .is then swung into inverted position and placed upon the corresponding unloading table, where the charge is ejected,'

the mold box then returning emptyto; the anvil to receive another charge. In the'arrangeme1'1tshown the mold boxes are erranged, toalternate in their operations so that while one is. being filledthe other {is being emptied. I v

A screen 1 7 preferably surrounds theanvil to prevent portions ofthemold charge from spattering as they charge enters the mold. Within the screen a supporting frame-work rises vertically to a considerable height above the anvil, said frame-work comprisingthe vertical posts 18 and suitable brace members connecting them.

At the upper ends the posts 18 are furnished with bearings 19 for parallelhori zontal shafts 20 and 2 1. The upper ends of the posts are connected by girders2 2 which support bearings 23 for a centrally disposed Shaft 24. ,flh sf h suppe fi aslam he t pe h p r i n ted was ha e. 99in prising complemental members 25 and 26 which are hinged at their upper ends to the rod 24. Each of the complemental parts 25 and 26 of the hopper is provided with one or more upstanding brackets 27 and the brackets carried by the respective members 25 and 26 are connected by a spring or springs 28 which tend to swing the opposite members of the hopper away from each other so as to discharge any material held therein.

The brackets 27 are preferably continued downwardly and outwardly and are furnished with antifriction. rollers 29. These rollers bear against the peripheral surfaces of cams 30 and 31 mounted upon the shafts 20 and 21 respectively. Each cam comprises a concentric dwell portion 32, preferably of an extent greater than half of circumference of the cam, and an abrupt descent or active portion 33.

Normally the rollers 29 bear against the dwell portions 32 of the cams which are of such diameter as to hold the complemental members 25 and 26 of the hopper in closed position so as to retain the charge which may be placed therein. lVhen the cams are turned through a sufficient distance to bring the rollers opposite to the active portions 33 of the cams, the hopper parts are released and the weight of the material, assisted by the springs 28, causes the parts of the hopper to swing away from each other almost instantaneously thus delivering the charge substantially as a unit and permitting it to fall freely without restriction into the open mold box.

The shafts 20 and 21 are preferably turned in opposite directions simultaneous ly by means of suitable connecting gears of which one is indicated at 34 in Fig. 2. The shafts are turned in properly timed relation to the operation of the mold box by any suitable means (not shown), for example, by crank and link connections to either or both of the shafts 7 and 10.

In Fig. 3 a modified arrangement is illustrated wherein the opposed parts 25 and 26 of the mold box are shown as provided with the spring 28 normally tending to separate them. In this instance the lower parts of the brackets 27 are pivotally connected at 35 to links 36 which in turn are pivotally connected to rton rods 37 provided with pistons 38 working in pressure cylinders 39. These pressure cylinders are furnished with pressure fluid by means of pipes 40 which may be controlled by means of any suitable type of valve (not shown) actuated by some convenient moving part of the machine.

While as herein disclosed the hopper is of two part construction it is evident that the release mechanism herein disclosed is applicable to'hoppers having a greater or lesser number of moving parts and it is further to be understood that while the improved release mechanism is illustrated as embodied in a specific type of molding ma chine it is not in any manner limited to such use but that it may be employed wherever it is desired to release a charge of material in a substantially instantaneous manner from a hopper 01- container.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper having a movable part tending to open to deliver a charge of material within it, and movable cam means normally holding said partin charge retaining position, said cam means compris ing an abrupt descent permitting the sudden opening of said movable part of the hopper.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a charge delivery hopper of clamshell type comprising movable members pivotally supported adjacent to their upper ends, means tending to swing the lower ends of said members away from each other to release a charge of material contained within the hopper, and cam means normally holding said member in charge retaining position, said cam means being constructed and arranged suddently to release said members.

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a charge delivery hopper having opposed parts pivotally supported adjacent to their upper ends and tending to separate under the gravitative action of a charge of material in the hopper, and cams normally prevent-ing such separation, said cams comprising abrupt descents permitting the sudden separation of said parts.

4:. Apparatus of the class described comprising a charge delivery hopper having a movable element, spring means tending to move said element in one direction, and cam means normally preventing such movement, said cam means comprising an abrupt descent permitting the sudden movement of said member under the action of saidspring.

5. Apparatus of the class described comprising a charge delivery hopper having a movable member, spring means tending to move said member in one direction, and acam for moving it in the other direction, said cam comprising a concentric or dwell portion extending throughoutmore than one-half of its circumference and a radial depression or active portion constituting the remainder of its circumference.

6. Apparatus of the class described comprising a charge delivery hopper of inverted wedge shape having two substantially like parts hinged together at the top, arms projecting upwardly from the respec tive parts above their points of connection, a tension spring connecting said arms and tending to swing the parts ofthe hopper away from each other, [brackets carried by the respective parts and supporting antifriction rollers, and a pair of cam members arranged to engage the respective rollers and normally serving to hold the parts oi the hopper in contact With each other.

7. Apparatus of the class described comprising a hopper of clam-shell type having two substantially like members, bracket projecting outwardly from each of said members, a pair of spaced horizontal shafts,

and'a cam upon each of said shafts engageable With an element of the respective brackets, said cams each having a substantially concentric portion or dwell and a radial depression, the diameter of the concentric portions being such as normally to hold the members of the hopper in closed position. I

Signed by me atCambridge, Massachn-' setts, this 7th day of October, 1924;.

CHARLES L. NORTON. I 

